SUU Improves to 3-1 in UAC With Win Over West Georgia
CARROLLTON, Georgia—On Saturday, Southern Utah traveled south to take on the West Georgia Wolves in a United Athletic Conference showdown. The Thunderbirds defeated the Wolves 28-17. The win brings SUU's record to 4-4 on the season, with a 3-1 mark in conference play. West Georgia drops to 2-6 this year with a 0-6 record against the UAC.
1st Quarter:
The Wolves got the ball to begin the game, but a quick three-and-out gave it back to the Thunderbirds. Southern Utah had a great drive going, but on a third and long, Jackson Berry couldn't escape a strong West Georgia pass rush and was sacked, forcing the T-Birds to punt. Alyas Vigil kicked a high ball that was downed on the three-yard line. The Wolves moved out of the shadow of their goalposts, but the drive stalled, and The Thunderbirds took over after a punt into the endzone. The Thunderbirds struck first with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Berry to Shane Carr.
2nd Quarter:
The Wolves used a long drive to answer right at the beginning of the second quarter, making the score 7-7. After a short drive, the T-Birds punted again, and West Georgia was able to capitalize with a field goal to take a 10-7 lead. The Thunderbirds would answer with a long drive that ate up a lot of clock, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run by Targhee Lambson with just under a minute to go. The Wolves were unable to score sending the game to the half at 14-10.
3rd Quarter:
The T-Birds opened the second half with the ball and marched down the field before Berry found Chase Merrell for a 12-yard touchdown connection, scoring 21-10. The Thunderbirds turned the ball over to West Georgia with a short field, but a big-time sack by Anisi Purcell and Josh Dunn pushed the Wolves to take a 48-yard field goal, which sailed wide right to give the Thunderbirds back the ball. Southern Utah once again moved the ball right down the field, and a big pass to Gabe Nunez set up a short touchdown run for Lambson.
4th Quarter:
The Wolves started the fourth quarter with the ball in the Thunderbirds' territory, but a fumble through the side of the endzone turned the ball back over to Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds could not move the ball much and punted it back to West Georgia, which got a good return to start its offense in plus territory. The Wolves were able to punch it in this time, making the score 28-17 with just under eight minutes remaining in the game. Southern Utah let the clock run in its next two drives to finish the game.
Offensive Leaders
Jackson Berry had a very efficient game, completing more than 75% of his passes, adding up to 257 yards passing and two touchdowns through the air. His top target was Gabe Nunez, who hauled in five catches for 67 yards. Shane Carr led the team in receiving yards with 96 and a touchdown despite only having two receptions. Chase Merrell had three receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown in the game as well. Targhee Lambson once again led the Thunderbirds in rushing with 135 yards. Braedon Wissler added 41 yards rushing on ten carries to help balance the Thunderbird running game. Lambson punched the ball into the endzone two times in the contest.
Defensive Leaders
George Ramirez led the team in tackles with ten total tackles. Lando Brown added a sack for the Thunderbirds, picking up three total tackles in the game. Baron Taylor, Josh Dunn, and Trent Whalen each finished the game with six tackles as the defense held the Wolves to under 100 yards rushing. The defense, as a whole, tallied five tackles for a loss in the game.
Next Up
The Thunderbirds will be on the road again next week, traveling to Abilene, Texas, to take on the Wildcats in a UAC battle. The game will take place on November 2 and kicks off at 2:00 p.m. MT. You can watch it live on ESPN+.